Monday, March 28, 2016

There have
been many changes to Mallard Creek Road in Charlotte’s University Area over the
past year. Most as a result of the now completed I-485
construction project.

No question
about it, Mallard Creek Road has been around for a very long time and probably
dates back as a path or trail to pre-colonial times.

While every
conceivable step has been taken to ensure that motorist travelling on the newly
constructed sections of Mallard Creek Road are kept safe, we recently noticed one part of the road which could potentially result in a very bad outcome for a motorist or
cyclist encountering some black ice or a flash flood on this busy road.

.

Most likely,
when the corrugated tunnel was constructed back in the day, allowing a creek tributary
to cross under the road, no one in the City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County anticipated
the volume of traffic that would be traveling up and down this busy two lane road in the 21st century.

Today, a simple guardrail installed either side of the road were it crosses Stony Creek would probably suffice.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

In the United States, when an accounting firm is engaged by a business client to carry out an audit, it is generally understood that the firm’s state licensed professionals will work with the public interest in mind and not necessarily the clients. In other words, the firm carries out the audit for the benefit of all stakeholders which includes: shareholders and investors, creditors (including lenders) the federal, state and local tax authorities and of course the general public.

Generally Accepted Accounting PrincipalsAfter all, without someone watching over businesses to make sure that they play by the rules, our society would almost certainly take a turn for the worse.Certified Public Accountants and other licensed professionals who provide a range of accounting and audit services to businesses either individually or through a firm are the traffic cops of commerce. The people we rely on as a society to keep their clients in check and above all, toe the line when it comes to keeping financial records and paying taxes.Consequently, when an accounting firm is identified allegedly not working in the public interest, they not only betray the public’s trust but they place at risk their reputation in their profession and the various state accountancy boards across the country which license and supervise them.

Betrayal of trustUnfortunately, here in Charlotte, several local CPA firms believe that it is an acceptable business practice to look the other way when clients (or their employees) cheat the system. This of course, includes defrauding the federal, state and local tax authorities. Even the partners at one of the so called “big four” CPA firm located on North Tryon Street in uptown Charlotte, appear to have forgotten about the EnronCorp scandal and the consequences for that company’s auditors Arthur Anderson LLP whose partners appeared to place earning “fat” fees over integrity and meeting the public’s trust.Here’s the problem for Charlotte; poorly supervised accounting firms on the part of the North Carolina State Board of Certified PublicAccountant Examiners can eventually lead to a lack of faith in the financial records produced by all local CPA firms (good and bad), resulting in investors, lenders and even start-up business giving Charlotte, the region and even the state a wide birth. Not exactly what a growing city and region needs in order create jobs.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Urban decaydoesn’t necessarily start in a community with the shuttering of a factory or
mill. It also starts with government allowing the little things that silently
and sometimes invisibly impact people’s lives in a negative way to go
unchecked.

Telephone and
cable company utility boxes are a prime example.

Often painted
a light green color in order to blend in with the lawns they sit on, utility
boxes are a common sight in Charlotte neighborhoods.

But
increasingly, maintenance and care of these boxes by utility companies is
becoming less frequent resulting in damaged or vandalized boxes being left
unattended and in turn resulting in exposed wires being left open to the
elements and worse, inquisitive children playing in the neighborhood.

Poor
supervision by state utility regulators coupled with poor enforcement of local
municipal codes by city and county authorities only contributes to the problem.

This begs the
question; who is ultimately responsible for policing the safety and upkeep of
our neighborhoods including utility boxes in order to prevent the ever present
threat of urban decay?